


Like Gravity (I'm Pulled to You)

by amaxingbaek



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Fem!Sehun, Multi, Polyamory, fem!baekhyun, fem!chen, fem!d.o., fem!xiumin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-21
Updated: 2017-09-21
Packaged: 2018-12-31 08:18:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12128358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaxingbaek/pseuds/amaxingbaek
Summary: When it comes to Baekhyun and Jongdae, Kyungsoo tries to act like she’s annoyed most of the time, but they always see right through her. It doesn’t help that Kyungsoo really isn’t trying to be annoyed in the first place.





	Like Gravity (I'm Pulled to You)

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Like Gravity (I’m Pulled to You)  
>  **Pairing(s):** girl!Baekhyun/girl!Jongdae/girl!Kyungsoo, girl!Baekhyun/girl!Kyungsoo, girl!Jongdae/girl!Kyungsoo, girl!Baekhyun/girl!Jongdae  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word count:** ~12k  
>  **Warning(s):** polyamory, Baekhyun is a menace  
>  **Author's Note:** I ended up claiming my own prompt and then the more I wrote, the more it deviated from what it was in my head before haha. Anyways, I hope that whoever reads this enjoys it ^^
> 
> Written for the NabiSonyeo fest ^^

There’s a loud crash that comes from down the hallway, followed by a moan. It’s not the good kind of moan, either, not the one that usually rings out through their apartment, but it’s one of pain.

Kyungsoo doesn’t even want to know what is going on, but she has no doubt that she’ll be finding out soon whether she wants to or not.

True to form, there’s the scampering of footsteps coming closer and closer to the kitchen where Kyungsoo is currently doing dishes, and then there’s a very warm body crashing into Kyungsoo’s. With a wheeze, Kyungsoo fights to stay upright and not drop the plate in her hand, but someone is screaming in her ear while squeezing around her waist and there’s just too much sensory overload right now. Even though Kyungsoo had come to expect this to happen, it’s still a little jarring every time.

“-and then she just threw it at me!”

Kyungsoo is still reeling from all of the activity, and just when she’s finally getting a grip on reality and listening to Baekhyun’s no doubt overdramatic account of what happened, there’s another set of feet coming down the hallway.

Jongdae bursts into view seconds later, one side of her shirt falling off of her shoulder as she points a finger accusingly at Baekhyun, yelling, “Liar!”

Jongdae runs forward towards Baekhyun, which causes Baekhyun to let out a scream of her own as she scrambles away and to the living room.

Kyungsoo can only blink towards the direction of the living room where there’s a flurry of movement and more screaming. They’re probably going to get another noise complaint, but Kyungsoo knows that there’s nothing that she can do to stop them at this point, so she goes back to washing the dishes with Baekhyun and Jongdae’s screaming as background noise.

 

“Hey. Kyungsoo. Hey!”

Kyungsoo simply turns to the next page of her book, mind far away in a place where vampires peacefully coexist with humans. Minseok was the one who had recommended this book to her, and it’s actually quite interesting. Then again, there’s a reason Minseok is one of Kyungsoo’s favorites, but it’s more than just the fact that she has good book recommendations.

“Kyungsooooooooo.”

It’s just getting to the good bit where the vampire’s lover finds out that they’re dating a vampire when suddenly Kyungsoo isn’t reading words, but instead staring down at her empty hands. She sighs, completely used to this already.

“Yes, Baekhyun?”

She can practically hear the way that Baekhyun’s lips curl up into a smile, but Kyungsoo won’t give her the satisfaction of looking at her just yet. Baekhyun has always been like an excited little puppy, curling up and becoming so incredibly happy when she gets even a second of attention. Jongdae and Kyungsoo always like to mess with her, see how long she can take until she ends up crawling into their lap with a pout for being ignored. Kyungsoo never admits it out loud, but she finds Baekhyun the cutest during those moments.

Kyungsoo’s lips twitch when Baekhyun’s face appears in her field of vision, which causes Baekhyun to exclaim, “Ha! I knew you couldn’t resist my charms for very long.”

Almost as quickly as she can blink, Kyungsoo schools her expression back to the blank one she had before. “Are you sure? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The signature pout comes out, and even Kyungsoo is powerless to stop from melting at such a cute sight. Kyungsoo sighs, a put-out sound that Baekhyun knows means that she has won this round. With a happy cry, Baekhyun doesn’t waste any more time before she’s climbing up and plopping herself in Kyungsoo’s lap, a beautiful smile on her face and stars in her eyes. The weight of her arms is a familiar one around Kyungsoo’s neck, fingers tracing small, invisible patterns against Kyungsoo’s shoulders. Baekhyun smells like flowers, a result of having worked in the flower shop all day, and Kyungsoo inhales, body relaxing at such a comforting smell.

“Hi,” Baekhyun whispers, all previous energy and volume gone. Instead, they’re replaced by warmth, of little whispers against Kyungsoo’s skin as Baekhyun continues to rub comforting patterns into her back.

Wrapping arms around Baekhyun’s tiny waist, Kyungsoo leans close enough to Baekhyun’s face that they’re eye-to-eye. Lips parting, Kyungsoo says, “Hi,” smiling at the way Baekhyun shivers from the breath hitting her lips.

“You’re not playing fair,” Baekhyun whines, and at this close, it’s pretty loud, but Kyungsoo is so used to Baekhyun and Jongdae whining close to her ear that it doesn’t even faze her anymore.

“Says you,” Kyungsoo shoots back. Baekhyun never plays fair – in the bedroom, out of the bedroom, anywhere, everywhere, Baekhyun always gets what she wants. It doesn’t help that Jongdae and Kyungsoo are so incredibly gone for her that they always cave eventually, but Kyungsoo likes to think that it’s the same for all of them. Baekhyun just utilizes her cuteness more often, so it happens more often with her.

“But I never play fair,” Baekhyun points out. “So it’s like I’m always playing fair _because_ I never do.”

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Are you listening to your logic right now?”

Baekhyun nods, the soft curls of her hair bouncing with the movement. “Of course. I tell it to myself all of the time and I haven’t found a flaw in it yet.”

She can’t help but laugh, because Baekhyun looks so sure of herself, so convinced that she knows what she’s talking about and it’s just so cute. “Okay, Baekhyunnie. Whatever you say, I guess.”

Baekhyun practically melts in her arms when the nickname that Kyungsoo so rarely uses comes out. Jongdae is the one who usually calls Baekhyun that, and to be honest, Jongdae probably says “Baekhyunnie” more than she says “Baekhyun.” But Kyungsoo has always been sparse with affection until it all kind of just bubbles out of her all at once, such as now. It’s just Baekhyun’s luck that she has caught Kyungsoo at a weak moment, but Kyungsoo isn’t really sure she minds, especially since Baekhyun is looking at her like she’s the eight wonder of the world.

The kiss that Baekhyun presses to her lips is soft, slow, like there’s nowhere else Baekhyun would rather be right now. Feeling a little cheeky, Kyungsoo pulls on the end of Baekhyun’s hair where it’s settled against her waist, chuckling at the gasp that Baekhyun lets out. Except it isn’t so funny when Baekhyun’s hips drive forward, Kyungsoo choking on a soft moan while Baekhyun clutches to Kyungsoo’s shoulders tighter.

“Don’t do that,” Baekhyun pants, eyes half-lidded and smoldering as she stares at Kyungsoo, “if you don’t want to start something.”

It usually doesn’t take very much to get Baekhyun riled up, so Kyungsoo isn’t very surprised at the sudden change in atmosphere. If she’s being honest, she should have probably figured this was a likely path they were going to turn down when Baekhyun first climbed into her lap. Kyungsoo loves nothing more than showing Baekhyun just how much she adores her – because _showing_ has always been easier than _telling_ for Kyungsoo – but she would honestly rather curl up and take a nap right now, drained from the week. As much as Kyungsoo hates to waste the opportunity of a pretty girl sitting in her lap, this will have to be one such opportunity wasted.

She feels bad, she really does, when she chews on her lip and says, “Sorry.”

But Baekhyun never lets her feel bad about things like this, always understanding. None of them would ever force anyone else to do something they didn’t want to do, and for all of Baekhyun’s bravado and sex appeal, she knows when to stop. She kisses Kyungsoo again, short and sweet, and says, “It’s okay. How about we take a nap instead?”

Not for the first time, Kyungsoo wonders how Baekhyun can understand her so well. How she understands that Kyungsoo means more than sorry, how she doesn’t even have to say anything for Baekhyun to know what she wants.

It’s Kyungsoo’s turn to kiss Baekhyun this time, but she kisses Baekhyun on the corner of her lips right near her cute little mole.

The couch is large enough that they both fit comfortably, the space only becoming a little cramped when all three of them are laid out, which is exactly why they had bought it in the first place. It had been pricey, probably more than it should have been considering Baekhyun and Jongdae didn’t have any problems with any of the smaller ones, but it’s perfect and one of Kyungsoo’s favorite places to curl up.

“Jongdae is going to be mad when she comes home and finds us all cozy on the couch,” Baekhyun says with a giggle.

Kyungsoo rolls her eyes. “That’s why you’re on the outside. She can roll you off and then climb up if she wants. As long as I can keep sleeping.”

“Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun gasps. “How could you play me dirty like this?”

Pressing a kiss to Baekhyun’s forehead to mollify her, Kyungsoo whispers, “Then you better hold on to me tightly.”

Baekhyun’s eyes light up at such a blatant opportunity to plaster herself against Kyungsoo, and it’s one that she takes with greedy hands, arm automatically curling around Kyungsoo’s waist. Kyungsoo laughs when she feels Baekhyun throw a leg over her hip, but it’s short-lived, for Baekhyun tucks her head under Kyungsoo’s chin without preamble.

“Puppy,” Kyungsoo murmurs, affection coloring her words.

Baekhyun sighs happily, wiggling in place to get more comfortable, only settling down when Kyungsoo starts combing fingers through her hair.

“Can you and Jongdae braid my hair when we wake up?” Baekhyun mutters, already halfway asleep.

Chuckling at how cute her girlfriend is, Kyungsoo says, “Sure.”

(When Kyungsoo wakes up later, it’s to the feeling of another hand on her waist, Baekhyun’s entire body pressed up against hers, and the soft sounds of Jongdae’s breathing from Baekhyun’s other side. Kyungsoo simply goes back to sleep, a smile on her face.)

 

“I need a dozen roses, a dozen sunflowers, and a dozen carnations. And where is that basket I asked for, Baekhyun? And what about that order that is supposed to be going out for delivery soon? Is that in the car, is Sehun ready to go, is-”

“Chill!” Baekhyun says, hands soft as they cradle Kyungsoo’s face. “Now breathe. In and out. In and out.”

Kyungsoo really doesn’t have the time for this, but she huffs and does as Baekhyun asks because she knows that Baekhyun is only trying to help. She follows Baekhyun’s instructions, the throbbing of her head decreasing slightly with every breath she takes.

“There,” Baekhyun says, a smile on her face and in her voice. “See, doesn’t that feel better?”

“No,” Kyungsoo deadpans, if only to see the comical way Baekhyun’s face drops in surprise.

It doesn’t take Baekhyun more than a few seconds to figure out that Kyungsoo is just joking, and she huffs. “This is the thanks I get for trying to help you? Maybe I should go over and see Jongdae and accidentally forget to come back.”

Panic flooding her veins, Kyungsoo grips onto Baekhyun’s wrists and says, “No! Please don’t.”

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun drawls. “I’m sure that Jongdae would appreciate me.”

And while Kyungsoo has no doubt that Jongdae would, Kyungsoo needs her help right now, both with menial tasks and with keeping her sane. She also knows, unfortunately, what she has to do to keep Baekhyun here with her and she sighs.

“Baekhyunnie,” Kyungsoo pouts, internally cringing at herself but determined to keep going until Baekhyun is satisfied. “Don’t go. Please. I really need your help right now.”

Eyes lighting up in pure happiness, it looks like Baekhyun has just received the best present in the world. Kyungsoo dryly thinks that, to Baekhyun, it probably is with how often Kyungsoo does something like this (which would be almost never).

“Okay!” Baekhyun chirps, the brightest smile on her face. “Since you asked so nicely and so cutely.”

Kyungsoo holds back a groan when Baekhyun pinches her cheeks before flouncing off, hopefully to either find Sehun or actually get her the basket she needs.

Hours later, after the rush has died down and everything thankfully is in order, Jongdae strolls into the shop like she owns it (but to be fair, they all own it, so maybe that’s accurate).

“Hello my loves!” she yells despite the fact that both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are sitting by the register, which is right near the door.

“Jongdae!” Baekhyun screams back, Kyungsoo only barely flinching at the volume.

Jongdae’s responding smile is as bright and beautiful as it always is. Sometimes, Kyungsoo wonders what or who would win a contest of brightness between the sun, Baekhyun smiling, or Jongdae smiling.

By the time Kyungsoo returns to the present, Baekhyun has managed to tuck herself in Jongdae’s arms, Jongdae twirling a lock of Baekhyun’s long hair as she whispers something that causes Baekhyun to laugh. Jongdae smiles over at Kyungsoo in greeting, to which Kyungsoo responds with a small smile of her own.

“I hope you guys are hungry,” Jongdae says, lifting up the hand that isn’t occupied with Baekhyun’s hair. Kyungsoo’s smile grows wider at the sight of the characters of their favorite restaurant, and immediately moves to go and clean the table in the back room so they can eat there.

Jongdae, with Baekhyun still attached to her, waddles in just as Kyungsoo finishes up, the two of them no doubt sneaking in a few kisses while they were standing by the door.

“Alright, little barnacle, you’re going to have to let go now,” Jongdae says with a little laugh. Baekhyun only responds by huffing and snuggling closer, and Kyungsoo wouldn’t be surprised if Baekhyun started climbing Jongdae to get any closer to her. Baekhyun suddenly yelps, Jongdae cackling as Baekhyun rubs her side with a pout. In the time it takes Kyungsoo to blink, she suddenly has a very pouty, very sad Baekhyun attached to her side.

“Why is Jongdae so mean to me?” Baekhyun whines, adding in a fake sniff for added effect.

Kyungsoo stares at her in amusement. “You say the same thing about me all of the time. To Jongdae. I’m not sure that I’m a better option.”

Like the world is against her, Baekhyun sighs heavily and plops down in the nearest chair. “Life is so cruel.”

“Sure,” Kyungsoo deadpans. “You have two girlfriends who love you, and you’re spoiled rotten by said girlfriends. Life is hard.”

Jongdae’s bright, clear laughter is loud enough to almost entirely cover up the offended gasp that Baekhyun lets out, but Kyungsoo knows Baekhyun well enough that she doesn’t have to hear it to know that Baekhyun did it.

“This is exactly my point!” But Baekhyun doesn’t sound offended at all, and they all know that she never really was in the first place, just like they all know that Kyungsoo had been absolutely right.

“I don’t know about the both of you,” Jongdae starts, “but I’m really hungry. You can keep arguing if you want, but I’m going to eat.”

That seems to get them moving, and before long, the three of them are laughing and chatting as they eat. It’s as if they hadn’t all seen each other a mere five hours prior – and like they haven’t been around each other all day in Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s case. Kyungsoo will never get used to just how easy it can be being around the both of them, how she can simply sit back and let them talk. Of course, they make sure to include her every now and then, but Kyungsoo is content watching Jongdae shake her head as she wipes off some sauce from the corner of Baekhyun’s lips, Baekhyun teasingly biting the air where Jongdae’s finger used to be. To an outsider, it might seem like Baekhyun and Jongdae are the only ones dating, but Kyungsoo never feels left out. How can she when Baekhyun constantly has a hand on her thigh, or Jongdae every so often “accidentally” brushes her foot against Kyungsoo’s feet or calves? It’s heartwarming, to know that they always have Kyungsoo on their minds, even when they’re so wrapped up in each other and Kyungsoo could easily fade into the background with her silence.

 

Kyungsoo is ready to be home, mind already wandering to the leftovers they have in the fridge and the new episode of the drama she’s watching that just came out an hour ago. The couch sounds like a heavenly place to be right now, but honestly, any place that doesn’t require Kyungsoo to stand or think is a good place.

Giggling greets her when she opens the door, but that isn’t unusual.

“Hi Kyungsoo!” both Baekhyun and Jongdae chorus and it has Kyungsoo smiling, already feeling less tired, if only by a fraction.

“Hi,” she calls back. After slipping off her shoes, she wanders over to see what it is they’ve gotten themselves into today, eyes widening when she sees the explosion of accessories that are currently covering their entire coffee table. “Uh.”

Baekhyun looks up at Kyungsoo with a smile that Kyungsoo knows means no good. The next thing Kyungsoo knows, she’s being pulled down onto the couch, Baekhyun talking a mile a minute about how she found all of these clips and bows in one of the drawers in the bathroom that she completely forgot they had and how she really wants to put them in Kyungsoo’s hair. Jongdae, sitting on Kyungsoo’s other side, short hair already full of bows and small braids, simply smiles and shrugs as if to say, “What can you do?”

And so that’s how Kyungsoo finds herself sitting there as Baekhyun chatters about her day working with Jongdae, hands soft and strong as they braid Kyungsoo’s hair into a French braid. It takes a little longer than Kyungsoo remembers it should, but that’s only because Baekhyun isn’t satisfied with the way the first two turned out, making a noise of annoyance just before she reaches the bottom and then starting over again both times. Jongdae is busy making silly faces at Kyungsoo, which causes her to laugh. Baekhyun softly hits her shoulder and chides her, telling her not to move, but that only encourages Jongdae to make even more exaggerated faces in an effort to get Kyungsoo to laugh more. And it works, Kyungsoo’s shoulders shaking with how much she’s laughing from the vision of Jongdae in front of her, eyes wide yet crossed as she sticks her tongue out to the side, nose twisting as well. It quickly smooths out into a smile once Jongdae hears Kyungsoo’s laughter, her lips curling up at the edges and eyes crinkling adorably.

“Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun whines, hands falling limp and away from Kyungsoo’s hair.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo gets out between her laughter. “It’s not really my fault, though.”

“Jongdae!” Baekhyun whines instead, but that only has Kyungsoo laughing more, which causes Jongdae to laugh, and then Baekhyun joins in after a few seconds where Kyungsoo knows she’s only trying to hold her laughter in to make a point.

Giggles trailing off, Jongdae promises, “Okay, I won’t interfere with your work anymore, Baekhyunnie.”

Baekhyun hums, her fingers gently taking out the pleats already present in Kyungsoo’s hair so she can start for a fourth time. In all honesty, Kyungsoo can’t say she minds, body relaxing as Baekhyun runs hands through her hair. It’s always soothing, when someone plays with her hair, and Baekhyun and Jongdae are always so gentle that it’s easy to slip into a relaxed state.

“Hey, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae whispers. Kyungsoo hadn’t even known she closed her eyes until she has to open them to look at Jongdae. She hums in response, Jongdae smiling at her the same way she smiles at tiny kittens. “Hi.”

Kyungsoo smiles back, slow but sure. “Hi.”

Slowly, like Kyungsoo is a frightened animal, Jongdae reaches out a hand, palm up, pretty smile still on her face. Jongdae’s hand is warm in Kyungsoo’s when she takes it, fingers easily fitting in the spaces between Kyungsoo’s own fingers. Kyungsoo’s heart feels full enough to burst when Jongdae starts rubbing her thumb over the knuckles of Kyungsoo’s thumb, skin tingling wherever Jongdae touches.

Baekhyun suddenly taps Kyungsoo on the side of the throat, giggling when Kyungsoo jolts slightly. Jongdae doesn’t laugh, but her smile is cheeky, and Kyungsoo can feel her cheeks heating up in embarrassment.

“It’s not my fault that I was falling asleep,” Kyungsoo grumbles. Between Baekhyun working on her hair, Jongdae tracing soothing patterns on her hand, and not to mention the stress of the day, she can’t be blamed.

Giggling again, Baekhyun goes back to braiding her hair, fingers quick and efficient. It doesn’t take much longer for Baekhyun to finish, and the coo she lets out when she’s done must mean that she actually likes the finished product this time. There’s some shuffling around, some pressure on the top of her braid, then lower down, Baekhyun holding the hair in place as she clips what is probably a fifth bow in Kyungsoo’s hair.

“Don’t move!” Baekhyun orders, not that Kyungsoo was going to anyways. She’s confortable here, Jongdae’s hand still in hers and face still soft and open, coupled with the warmth of Baekhyun behind her.

“Look!”

There’s suddenly a phone in front of Kyungsoo’s face, and she blinks it into focus. It’s a picture of Kyungsoo’s hair, bows placed around haphazardly and at multiple different angles throughout her braid. Kyungsoo isn’t really sure if there’s supposed to be a color scheme – the light pink bow with blue polka-dots and the bright orange bow among others tells her probably not – but she adores it all the same.

“Thank you, it’s really pretty,” Kyungsoo says, and she isn’t lying. The braid itself is as perfect as it can get, not a hair out of place, and even though the bows aren’t exactly in a row at exactly the same angle, the important part is that Baekhyun tried so hard on it. And judging by the wide smile on Baekhyun’s face, she’s happy with it, too, so Kyungsoo has no reason to say anything bad.

Despite that, though, Baekhyun still flushes at the praise. It’s cute, the way her cheeks turn just that much darker, the color even more visible now since Baekhyun has already taken her makeup off.

There’s sudden movement from her side, Jongdae getting up and pinching Baekhyun’s cheeks. Completely disregarding Baekhyun spluttering, Jongdae gives her a quick kiss to soothe her before she says, “I’ll go warm up leftovers for you, Kyungsoo.” And then she’s off, like a little hurricane, leaving destruction, or in this case a very flustered Baekhyun and an amused Kyungsoo, in her wake.

Kyungsoo motions Baekhyun in front of her, Baekhyun settling down in the space that Jongdae just vacated, cheeks still slightly pink. Snickering internally, Kyungsoo is sure that what she’s about to do will probably only make her flush that much worse, but that’s part of the reason she wants to do it. It’s adorable, how Baekhyun can be so brash and bold all of the time, can whisper the filthiest things into their ears with a straight face, but then turn into a blushing mess at surprise affection.

Much like Jongdae had done earlier, Kyungsoo holds out a hand, lips twitching when Baekhyun doesn’t hesitate before tangling their fingers together. Baekhyun is looking down at their hands, giving Kyungsoo the perfect opening. With her other hand, she tilts Baekhyun’s face up, and only has enough time to see how wide Baekhyun’s eyes are before she leans closer for a kiss. Like what normally happens, Baekhyun presses closer, a hand coming up to cling to Kyungsoo’s shirt, her other hand clutching to Kyungsoo’s fingers tighter. Her face is soft under Kyungsoo’s fingers from her lack of makeup, and her lips are even softer without all of that lip gloss she always insists on putting on. Without it all, Kyungsoo is able to see the natural tint to her cheeks and lips, a part of her so, so proud that she’s the reason Baekhyun - the same Baekhyun who has constantly made Kyungsoo feel like she’s drifting away in an ocean that is Baekhyun without anything to hold on to - is reduced to such a sight. It’s only fair, after all.

“No kissing without me!” Jongdae yells from the kitchen, which has Kyungsoo rolling her eyes and Baekhyun giggling into her hand.

“You and Baekhyun make out every chance you get, don’t even try that with me!”

And then quieter, so Jongdae doesn’t hear her, Kyungsoo asks, “She didn’t even give me a kiss yet, who is she to say that?”

Now Baekhyun is practically falling off the couch with her laughter, and Kyungsoo feels something warm in her chest at the sound. It’s a feeling that only increases when Jongdae comes out, a plate of leftovers in her hand, and a kiss for Kyungsoo that has her toes curling.

 

“I’m trusting you with the shop, so don’t do anything stupid,” Kyungsoo calls out to Sehun as she gathers her things. She’s only going to be gone for lunch, and she has left the shop to Sehun multiple times before, so she logically knows that nothing would happen to it, but it’s still stressful being away, even if she’s only going to be next door.

“Aye aye!” Sehun says with a salute and a grin.

Totally endeared, but never going to admit it, Kyungsoo waves to her one more time before exiting the shop and heading over to meet Baekhyun and Jongdae. Baekhyun had already texted her a ridiculous amount of pizza emojis to let Kyungsoo know that the pizza had arrived a few minutes prior, and she had replied that there better be some left for her by the time she got there. Baekhyun had sent a selca of her biting into a piece of pizza with a teasing glint in her eye, but Kyungsoo isn’t worried too much.

“Kyungsoo!” someone calls as soon as she enters.

She nods at Yixing with a small smile. “Hey. How are you today?”

Yixing slumps a little in his chair at that. He sighs, a hand scrubbing down his face. “There have been some...interesting people today, I’ll put it that way.”

“Ah,” Kyungsoo says sympathetically. She has had her fair share of unruly and crabby customers before, but none like she knows that they have here if the stories Jongdae tells her are anything to go by. “Did you have to tattoo another name on someone’s ass today?”

Yixing laughs at that and says, “Thankfully no, it’s still too early for those kinds of customers to come in. But it’s not too early for some of the underage crowd to try and pass off a fake license.”

“Ah,” Kyungsoo repeats. Jongdae has told her many similar stories, and she only hopes that this person wasn’t as rude as some of the other ones had been before. “Sorry to hear that. I hope they weren’t too difficult to deal with.”

Yixing shrugs. “It wasn’t bad, but it would’ve been nicer if I didn’t have to do it at all.”

Kyungsoo can understand that, and just as she’s about to say something else, Baekhyun bursts out from the curtain covering the entrance to the hallway, eyes lighting up when she sees Kyungsoo. It kind of knocks the breath out of Kyungsoo, knowing that Baekhyun is so happy to see _her_ , the light in her eyes never fading over time. “I knew I heard your voice! Come on, the pizza is going to be cold and I’m all lonely back here by myself.”

Raising an eyebrow, Kyungsoo looks over at Yixing. “You know that Yixing could’ve eaten with you. Minseok is probably here somewhere as well.”

Yixing smiles, his dimple appearing and his lip ring glinting in the light from the movement. “It’s okay, I’m going to eat with Minseok later once Seulgi comes in for her shift.”

Baekhyun makes a noise, as if to say, “See, I told you so.”

“Alright, alright,” Kyungsoo concedes. “You win this round. I’ll see you later, Yixing.”

Yixing waves, smile still in place, as Baekhyun all but tugs Kyungsoo down the hallway and to the back room that is as far away from all of the rooms that are used for tattoos as possible. The smell of pizza hits her the moment Baekhyun opens the door, and her stomach grumbles hungrily.

“Where’s Jongdae?” Kyungsoo wonders, seeing that they’re the only two in the room.

Plopping down with more grace than expected, Baekhyun picks up another slice of pizza and says, “Finishing up a tattoo,” before biting into it.

Kyungsoo frowns, not wanting to eat without Jongdae present. Baekhyun must sense her reluctance, for she says, “Don’t worry, Jongdae told me to tell you to start eating without her. She says it won’t take much longer for her to finish.”

That should be an even bigger reason for Kyungsoo to wait, but she knows that Jongdae wouldn’t want her to, especially if she was hungry.

Jongdae enters the room in the middle of Baekhyun’s recap of her day working with Jongdae thus far, one of her eyes twitching in annoyance as she recalls the underage boy from earlier. Jongdae flops down into the nearest chair with a groan, completely cutting Baekhyun off, but Baekhyun isn’t bothered, frowning over at Jongdae in concern.

“You okay?” Kyungsoo asks, placing a hand against Jongdae’s thigh in what she hopes is a comforting touch.

“Yeah,” Jongdae answers. “Back pieces just always take up all of my energy, especially since this one was her third appointment to finish up the shading.”

Kyungsoo can’t help but shiver. She has seen pictures of Jongdae’s work before, and it’s all beautiful, but if there’s one thing that she can’t stomach very well, it’s a full back piece.

Baekhyun, on the other hand, loves hearing about everything that has to do with Jongdae’s art, back pieces and all. “Ooooh, what was it?”

As Jongdae goes into detail about the rainforest-inspired piece she just finished up, Kyungsoo watches how, despite the fact that Jongdae was just complaining, her whole face lights up and her hands move about in order to help explain the piece better. Baekhyun listens with rapt attention, eyes widening a little more with each passing thing that Jongdae says she added in, even gasping when Jongdae says she included a waterfall. It’s really cute, seeing them so excited about something clearly so important to them, and she suddenly feels like she understands them more now when they tell her about how cute she is when she gets excited about flowers and arrangements. Baekhyun, of course, gets excited about everything, and considering she works with both of them, it’s not a surprise that she does, but it’s also such a _Baekhyun_ thing. It’s endearing, and it makes Kyungsoo feel like she’s important, like she’s doing something worth of value, and that’s more than Kyungsoo could ever ask for. Of course, Jongdae is just the same when it comes to supporting Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo for Jongdae, but no one could ever match the enthusiasm that Baekhyun has in her tiny body.

“What do you think, Soo?”

Kyungsoo blinks, only to see the two of them staring at her expectantly. “Huh?”

“Soo,” Baekhyun whines dramatically, as if Kyungsoo has just offended her greatly.

“What were you thinking so hard about?” Jongdae wonders, but Kyungsoo sees the glint in her eyes that tells Kyungsoo that Jongdae knows her train of thought involved them.

Ignoring Jongdae’s knowing stare and praying that her cheeks aren’t that red, Kyungsoo asks Baekhyun, “What were you saying? Sorry.”

Baekhyun huffs, some of her bangs lifting with the sudden air. “I was _saying_ that I was thinking about getting a tattoo, just a small one for now.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo breathes. She automatically looks Baekhyun over, eyes skimming the exposed skin of Baekhyun’s arms, brain conjuring up images of Baekhyun with tattoos. She can’t help the shiver that runs down her spine at the mental image. The more adventurous of the three, Jongdae has a few hidden away, but Baekhyun and Kyungsoo have none. Baekhyun does, however, have ears littered with piercings and a belly button piercing, whereas Kyungsoo has absolutely nothing. It isn’t that she has anything against tattoos or piercings (she almost snorts because of the fact that she co-owns this tattoo parlor and because of who she is dating), it’s just that she has never thought about them on her. Jongdae is hot as hell, and Baekhyun looks so pretty with all of her jewelry, but Kyungsoo has never felt the need to get something for herself.

“Is that a good ‘oh’ or a bad ‘oh’?” Baekhyun asks.

Jongdae snickers. “I think it’s more like a ‘fuck me’ than anything.”

If her cheeks weren’t red before, she’s sure that they are now. Amidst Baekhyun’s surprised, yet happy, laughter, and Jongdae’s victorious smirk, Kyungsoo takes a bite of her pizza to try and not embarrass herself any further by confirming Jongdae’s words.

“Thanks for your blessing, Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun says happily, her eyes curving up into cute little crescents. Kyungsoo only takes another bite, mourning the loss of even more of her sanity in the future.

 

“Kyungsoo has been tiring me out all day,” Baekhyun whines as she leans onto Jongdae the minute they close up for the day.

Jongdae laughs, absentmindedly running a hand through Baekhyun’s hair. “Not in the good kind of way I take it?”

Baekhyun pouts. “No.”

“Poor baby,” Jongdae coos.

Nodding as if her life is so hard and they should pity her, Baekhyun continues pouting. Kyungsoo can only roll her eyes at the dramatics. That is, until she makes eye contact with Jongdae, who also rolls her eyes. It causes Kyungsoo to laugh, Jongdae’s lips quirking up into a smile only to fall back to a consoling pout when Baekhyun looks up and squints at the both of them.

“Is my misery funny to you?” Baekhyun huffs.

“Of course not!”

Baekhyun starts pushing against Jongdae, yelling that she’s so mean and that she can’t _believe_ she’s dating someone who doesn’t treat her the way she should be treated, but Jongdae refuses to let go, laughing as she curls arms around Baekhyun’s mid-section and pulls her closer. Like this, Baekhyun has no movement of her arms, and after a fruitless moment of wiggling around, Baekhyun stops with a sigh, her shoulders dropping along with the corners of her mouth.

“Spoiled,” Jongdae murmurs right before she leans down to kiss the pout right off of Baekhyun’s face.

Kyungsoo watches as Baekhyun wastes no time in adding tongue in, and while Kyungsoo’s fingers twitch with the minute need to touch, she holds back. “Are you going to keep going? Don’t forget there’s a thing called public indecency.”

Jongdae pulls back, lips shining in the light, and eyes dark enough that Kyungsoo feels the beginning of a shudder start down her spine. “Don’t be jealous, Soo. You know we would never leave you out.”

Raising an eyebrow, Kyungsoo asks, “Who said that I was jealous? I was just looking out for you.”

Baekhyun detaches herself from Jongdae’s hold, sauntering over towards Kyungsoo with a focused glint to her eye. The heels she’s wearing today makes her just tall enough that she can look down at Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo doesn’t like the advantage it gives her.

“Our Soo is so good to us, looking out for us like this,” Baekhyun murmurs. Kyungsoo is helpless as she stares into Baekhyun’s eyes, distracted by the way her makeup makes Baekhyun’s eyes seem that much larger, that much prettier. She tilts her head, her earring of a heart flanked by angel wings swooping and catching in the faint light of the sunset. Kyungsoo isn’t really sure the earring is accurate, Baekhyun more like a devil with how easily she’s able to send Kyungsoo’s emotions haywire, but she doesn’t have much more time to think before Baekhyun is tilting her head to the left so she’s focusing back on Baekhyun’s face. And then Baekhyun is leaning forward, the smell of roses so prominent on her skin today, and that’s the last conscious thought that Kyungsoo has before Baekhyun kisses her.

In all honesty, this is exactly what Kyungsoo needs after a long day. Baekhyun’s lips are a little sticky from the lip gloss still on her lips, but Kyungsoo has never really minded much in the first place despite how much she complains about it. It tastes like strawberries today, Kyungsoo soon figures out once Baekhyun bites her bottom lip, leaving a sticky spot on Kyungsoo’s upper lip. Groaning, Kyungsoo pulls back to breathe, not needing to look to know that there’s a smug smile on Baekhyun’s face.

Jongdae doesn’t waste any time, her hand warm in Kyungsoo’s as she pulls her over slightly so she can leave a short kiss on Kyungsoo’s lips as well. It leaves Kyungsoo wanting more, the quick touch not nearly long enough, and Kyungsoo is well aware that was Jongdae’s intention.

“Don’t want to be indecent,” Jongdae teases and Kyungsoo’s only response is rolling her eyes.

A quick pat on her cheek turns her attention back to Baekhyun, who is smiling. “We also don’t want your eyes getting stuck with how often you roll them.”

Kyungsoo is about to do just that, more of a reflex than anything at this point, but Baekhyun pinches her cheek before she can.

“Hey!” Kyungsoo cries, not enjoying the way Baekhyun laughs.

“You’re so cute!”

“Not as cute as you,” Jongdae coos. That gets Baekhyun to smile, a little bashful, but still beautiful with the glow of the sunset framing her.

“Always a charmer,” Baekhyun says, fake swooning, never one to pass up on the dramatics. “Anyways, let’s get going before it gets any darker. I’m hungry, and if we hurry, we can stop by the noodle place on the way home before they close.”

And so they set off, the three of them in a line with Baekhyun in the middle. It’s nice, being able to have this kind of time together, the pressure of the long day slowly slipping from Kyungsoo’s body.

Baekhyun is a few steps ahead of them, running and stopping in front of the stalls that are set up on the streets to talk to people who own them, some of them friends from how often they pass by. Baekhyun is almost in front of one of their favorite stalls, a smile on her face, and no doubt a greeting on her lips, when Jongdae speaks up.

“You know I only said that earlier to appease Baekhyun, right?”

Confused, Kyungsoo looks over to see Jongdae biting her lip. “When I said that Baekhyun was cuter than you. I didn’t mean it like that. You’re both very cute, so I don’t want you to think that I don’t think you are.”

Gaze softening, Kyungsoo reaches out, smiling when Jongdae’s hand meets hers in the middle. “I didn’t even think about it, to be honest. But thank you for letting me know.”

Jongdae hasn’t stopped biting her lip, and Kyungsoo is sure that she’s still worried. Kyungsoo isn’t a fool, she knows that Baekhyun and Jongdae are more alike than she is with either of them. Like attracts like, but Kyungsoo also knows that that isn’t the only possible combination. As much as she hates the saying, she really does believe that opposites attract. It isn’t so black and white, though. It’s ridiculous to think that Baekhyun is _just_ loud, that Jongdae is _just_ noisy, that Kyungsoo is _just_ quiet. Kyungsoo gets excited about things, there are days where Baekhyun simply curls up and rests her head in Kyungsoo’s lap, days where Jongdae is so sweet and doting that Kyungsoo swears she’s going to be in a perpetual sugar rush.

It can be hard, sometimes, to push down the voices from the past in their heads, of people asking them if they were _sure_ they were all dating. Mostly it was people asking Kyungsoo if she was sure she was dating either of them, let alone both of them, and Kyungsoo later learned that people had asked Baekhyun and Jongdae similar questions about her. Both Baekhyun and Jongdae had been upset about it, but Kyungsoo wasn’t too bothered. It wasn’t like any opinion mattered to her other than Baekhyun and Jongdae’s, especially negative ones. Kyungsoo is just happy that she can see them like this, carefree and not worried about showing all of the sides of themselves to each other.

Squeezing Jongdae’s hand, Kyungsoo says, “I promise that I’m okay. In all honesty, Baekhyun is the cutest, but don’t let her know that I said that. She doesn’t let me live now, so she won’t ever let me live if she finds out.”

That gets Jongdae to laugh, and Kyungsoo finds a victory in that. She never likes it when Baekhyun or Jongdae are upset, especially if they don’t have to be.

Yelling from up ahead catches Kyungsoo’s attention. Baekhyun is running up to them, a bag held in her hand, as she excitedly shouts about the free food she just got. Kyungsoo can see the owner from the stall Baekhyun got the food from smiling at her back indulgently, and she bows when the owner turns to her. They’ve been going to that street food stall for as long as Kyungsoo can remember, and the woman who runs it is always so sweet.

“You didn’t even get enough for all of us!” Jongdae accuses once she peeks into the bag.

Baekhyun pulls the bag away, sticking her tongue out at Jongdae. “Don’t be rude, Jongdae. She can’t give out her whole stall. Besides, she likes me the best anyways.”

She actually likes Kyungsoo the best, but Kyungsoo isn’t about to burst Baekhyun’s happy bubble. Instead, she tugs on Jongdae’s hand and stage-whispers, “Maybe she just wants to eat alone. We can go to our favorite place while Baekhyun stays here since she likes it so much.”

“Good idea!” Jongdae exclaims at the same time Baekhyun whines out, “Kyungsoo!”

 

It isn’t often that Kyungsoo gets to sleep in, but when she does, she always manages to wake up near eleven. And no matter how many times she wakes up alone, it never gets easier, the silence too much for her when she’s used to always hearing something going on in their apartment. It’s even more odd because Kyungsoo hadn’t even woken up when Baekhyun and Jongdae had left for work; she must be more tired than she thought.

Lazy days are always appreciated, but half of the day, Kyungsoo just stands around, scratching her head and thinking of something to do to fill the hours. At least when she’s working with the flowers, she always has something to do. It’s tiring, sure, but the day always passes by faster when Kyungsoo has flowers to tend after or arrangements to make. Heck, even listening to Baekhyun talk makes the day shorter. Now, surrounded by the four walls of their apartment and faced with too many hours with not enough things to fill them, Kyungsoo is a little lost.

After doing her usual routine, going to the bathroom, brushing her teeth, and changing, Kyungsoo pads out to the kitchen, figuring that she might as well make some lunch since she unintentionally skipped breakfast. There are little to no leftovers in the fridge, which means that Baekhyun is going to demand they order takeout for the rest of the week to fix that problem. And while Kyungsoo doesn’t mind ordering in once a week, the next four days in a row is too much. At least now Kyungsoo has something to work on, humming softly as she prepares enough food so that they can warm it up later in the week.

Kyungsoo is in the middle of putting the potato chunks into the pot when her phone starts blasting, starling her enough that she drops the last few in. Heart pounding, Kyungsoo looks over at her phone screen only to see Baekhyun’s smiling face on her screen. She rolls her eyes. Kyungsoo should have known that Baekhyun would call her sometime today; she always does when Kyungsoo has the day off.

“Hello?”

“Hi Kyungsoo!”

Despite herself, Kyungsoo smiles. “Hi.”

Baekhyun giggles, but part of the sound is lost through the receiver. It’s irrational, but Kyungsoo has never liked how Baekhyun’s laughter sounds more robotic, less lively through the phone. Even though it’s a marginal difference, it’s different enough.

“What are you doing?”

“Well,” Kyungsoo starts, peering into the pot to make sure everything is going well, “you can guess if you want.”

Making a noise of annoyance, Baekhyun asks, “Why can’t you just tell me?”

Kyungsoo snorts. “But where is the fun in that?”

“It would be more fun if both of us were having fun, but only you are,” Baekhyun accuses, a hint of whining in her words.

“Now you know how I feel,” Kyungsoo teases. The soup in front of her is still boiling, but she’s going to have to add the carrots in soon to make sure they’re all cooked properly. “I have to put you on speaker, Baek. Maybe you can figure it out.”

The line goes deadly quiet, and Kyungsoo laughs as she gets the carrots ready to cut and put in the pot. Baekhyun is a terrible cook, but she should at least be able to tell what Kyungsoo is doing. Hopefully.

Kyungsoo is cutting the third carrot when Baekhyun exclaims, “Oh! Are you cooking?”

“I was about to lose faith in you,” Kyungsoo says with a laugh. “You’re bad in the kitchen, but I had hoped you weren’t so bad that you couldn’t tell what cooking sounds like.”

“Well if you want me to burn the apartment down, I can keep trying,” Baekhyun says, and Kyungsoo is sure she just shrugged. “I would probably need supervision, though.” And now she’s sure that Baekhyun is waggling her eyebrows in that ridiculous way of hers when she’s trying (and failing) to be sleazy.

“As tempting as that sounds, I like our apartment too much for it to burn down.”

“Aw, Soo,” Baekhyun whines.

Eventually, Baekhyun has to hang up when a customer comes in looking for an arrangement. Kyungsoo smiles at the obnoxious kiss sound that Baekhyun sends through the phone, tells her she loves her, and hangs up.

Once again, Kyungsoo is aware of just how quiet it is, even worse now that Baekhyun is no longer distracting her, and her food is done cooking. The television can only do so much, and Kyungsoo flips through a bunch of channels until she finds something remotely interesting, but it’s still a little lonely.

Kyungsoo wakes up to shaking and a gentle voice calling her name. Blinking, Kyungsoo opens her eyes to find Jongdae smiling down at her. Her lips are moving, but Kyungsoo doesn’t know what she’s saying and it takes her a few seconds to realize that she fell asleep. It’s ridiculous because she had slept in, so she shouldn’t be that tired. She doesn’t even remember falling asleep in the first place.

“What time is it?” Kyungsoo mumbles. Jongdae wasn’t supposed to be home until five, but it’s too bright out for it to be five yet.

Laughing softly, Jongdae says, “It’s almost two. I came home early because it was a slow day and Yixing practically forced me out when he found out that you were home alone. Which is rude, might I add, because _I_ own the place and not him.” She huffs, but the twinkle to her eyes tells Kyungsoo that she’s just joking.

Kyungsoo hums, still not entirely awake, but getting there.

“Wanna bake?” Jongdae suddenly asks. “I figured that since I was coming home early, I would stop by and grab some stuff to make cookies...and you’re always really bored when you’re home alone, so.”

Kyungsoo feels her heart flutter at how thoughtful Jongdae is. Her and Baekhyun are always thinking about her, and it’s just so...Kyungsoo can’t explain how happy it makes her feel, even though “happy” is a gross understatement.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo answers, smiling. It’s a smile that only grows bigger when Jongdae absolutely beams and effortlessly tugs Kyungsoo up and off the couch and into her arms. Jongdae doesn’t waste any time, leaning down and kissing Kyungsoo. She tastes like artificial strawberry flavor, and Kyungsoo just knows that Jongdae bought a few snacks earlier along with the cookie ingredients. That, or she kissed Baekhyun before heading out, which is equally as likely, but not as probable.

Jongdae’s hand is warm in Kyungsoo’s as Jongdae tugs her to the kitchen, and although she huffs when Kyungsoo tells her she needs her hand to cook, she lets go. But it’s not before Jongdae pulls her closer for another kiss, Kyungsoo laughing at how cute she is.

It’s easy after that, to fall into easy banter with Jongdae as they work alongside each other, Jongdae bumping her hip into Kyungsoo’s with a laugh.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo grouses when it happens for the third time, but she’s smiling. She doesn’t usually fall for such blatant provocations, but Jongdae is really asking for it, so she bumps back before Jongdae can do it another time, sticking her tongue out for good measure.

Jongdae’s resounding laughter is as bright and beautiful as it always is, lighting up Jongdae’s whole face and the entire room. Kyungsoo takes the opportunity to scoop up some of the cookie dough and drop a spot on Jongdae’s cheek, fighting to hold back a giggle when Jongdae immediately stops laughing to blink in confusion.

“What- Kyungsoo!”

“Jongdae,” Kyungsoo responds at a normal tone. Her laugh bubbles out of her at Jongdae’s stunned expression, and she has to put down the remaining cookie dough in her hand in fear of dropping it when her laughter won’t stop.

It’s laughter that turns into a squeak when arms wrap around her waist, Jongdae nuzzling up against her.

“Jongdae, no!” Kyungsoo yells, fighting to get away when she first feels the sticky coolness on her cheek that is the cookie dough on Jongdae’s. But she’s still laughing, body too weak to fight back, so Kyungsoo is left with a smiling Jongdae and matching cheeks with pieces of raw cookie dough.

“That’s what you get,” Jongdae says, far too happily in Kyungsoo’s opinion.

Kyungsoo simply goes back to the cookie dough, ignoring Jongdae as payback. She scoops up cookie dough, and is just about to put the third ball down on the pan when Jongdae nudges her in the side. Kyungsoo is surprised that Jongdae even managed this long, but to be fair, she’s more patient than Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo is so used to Baekhyun pushing into her space at all hours of the day that she always feels prepared to be touched in some way.

Jongdae is, however, just as unforgiving as Baekhyun is when it comes to getting Kyungsoo’s attention. It only takes a few more well-aimed pokes before Kyungsoo accidentally lets out a giggle that has Jongdae cheering in victory. The press of Jongdae’s lips against Kyungsoo’s cheek is soft, but wet, Kyungsoo scrunching her nose up when Jongdae purposely makes the kiss as sloppy as possible.

“You’re a nuisance,” Kyungsoo mutters.

“Not as bad as Baekhyun, though,” Jongdae sing-songs, and that’s fair. Even Baekhyun would agree that she’s a menace on most days, an absolute terror on the rest. But, undoubtedly, affectionate every single day.

“That doesn’t negate the fact that you’re a menace,” Kyungsoo points out. She wouldn’t be surprised if they both whispered to each other when Kyungsoo isn’t around to conspire ways on how to best push Kyungsoo’s buttons as much and as often as possible.

Jongdae shrugs, completely unbothered. “But you love me.”

Kyungsoo hums as if she’s thinking about it, but her smile when Jongdae very loudly whines, “Why are you like this to me?” gives her away.

 

Nose buried in a book, Kyungsoo can almost tune out all of the noise in their apartment.

Almost, because Kyungsoo is always attuned to Baekhyun and Jongdae at all times, no matter what. It’s especially true when they’re being as loud as they currently are, Baekhyun’s shrieks loud even though she’s in the bedroom down the hall and Kyungsoo is curled up on the couch in the living room.

It’s normal for there to be thunderous footsteps coming down the hallway and closer towards Kyungsoo, and she only turns the page when the giggles get louder. Two pairs of footsteps breeze past behind Kyungsoo and head into the kitchen, a growl permeating through the air that sounds suspiciously like Jongdae, and then more laughter courtesy of Baekhyun.

“I’m going to get you!” Jongdae proclaims.

“Never!” Baekhyun yells back.

Kyungsoo can only pray that neither of them get hurt and nothing gets broken. It’s a harrying few seconds where all Kyungsoo hears is more yelling – and she send a prayer that their neighbors aren’t home followed by an errant thought that they might want to invest in soundproof walls soon – and then thankfully Jongdae exclaims, “Got you!”

The rest of it becomes background noise for Kyungsoo after that, a low hum that can easily be pushed back now that Kyungsoo knows no one is going to get hurt.

Kyungsoo isn’t even halfway through her current page when someone calls out her name, bringing her out of her book so quickly that she has to blink to clear the images of a faraway time period from her head.

Jongdae walks over, a bright smile on her face and a light pink mark on her cheek in the shape of what Kyungsoo assumes is Baekhyun’s lips. Snorting, Kyungsoo points to the same general area on her face where the lip gloss print is on Jongdae’s cheek, but Jongdae only smiles more. “I know. She told me not to wash it off yet.”

Shaking her head at Baekhyun’s antics, Kyungsoo then asks, “Are you heading out now?”

“Yeah.” Then Jongdae suddenly pouts. “It’s not fair that the both of you get to stay home today while I have to go and work.”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “It’s not our fault that you scheduled yourself for an appointment today. You could have told her to come in another day.”

Jongdae sighs like the world is against her. “I know, I know, so you’ve told me already. And I know that you know that I’m too nice to do something like that. Just because I would rather stay home and cuddle all day doesn’t mean that I can skip work.”

Beaming, Kyungsoo says, “That’s the spirit!”

“So mean, Soo,” Jongdae complains, but that doesn’t stop her from leaning down and kissing Kyungsoo goodbye. This close, Kyungsoo can see the way Jongdae’s eyelashes brush against her cheeks, how her eyes shine with adoration. “Have a nice day. I hope Baekhyun doesn’t bother you too much.”

“I heard that!” Baekhyun calls from the kitchen.

Jongdae winks, Kyungsoo laughing softly. “Go before she attacks you with more kisses.”

“That sounds more like a present than a punishment.” But Jongdae heads out anyways with another cheery goodbye thrown over her shoulder as she leaves, Kyungsoo staring at the way her jeans cling to her legs and already counting down the minutes until Jongdae will come back home.

Kyungsoo doesn’t even bother to turn back to her book, knowing that since Jongdae is now gone, she will soon be the target of Baekhyun’s attempts to combat her boredom. Kyungsoo has an errant thought that maybe she should get Baekhyun to pick up another hobby, but with her luck, she will probably pick something that will only make things worse, like open up a blog that reviews sex toys. They already have more than enough and Baekhyun doesn’t need more excuses to blow money on twenty different vibrators.

As expected, it doesn’t take Baekhyun much longer to leave the kitchen and head towards Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo doesn’t want to admit it out loud, but Baekhyun looks so cute today, with a hint of sexy to her that has Kyungsoo finding it a little harder to breathe. Her shorts are shorter than they have any right to be, but it’s counteracted by the big, soft, off-white sweater that Baekhyun has on. If the front wasn’t tucked into her shorts, Kyungsoo knows that it would look like Baekhyun isn’t wearing any pants, not that that has ever stopped Baekhyun from going out like that before. They aren’t going outside today, though, or at least Kyungsoo isn’t planning on going anywhere today, so Kyungsoo can enjoy the sight of Baekhyun’s legs all to herself (and Jongdae can when she gets home, if she hadn’t done so already this morning). Baekhyun isn’t the tallest person, but with this outfit, Kyungsoo swears that her legs go on for miles, smooth skin just waiting to be marked up by her teeth.

And just when Kyungsoo doesn’t think it can get any worse, she notices that Baekhyun has sweater paws.

“For fuck’s sake,” Kyungsoo whispers to herself, powerless against Baekhyun on most days, but absolutely _doomed_ when faced with Baekhyun and sweater paws. It’s never _fair_ , Kyungsoo just so soft when faced with an even softer Baekhyun.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun wonders, probably totally clueless to the war going on inside of Kyungsoo right now. She curls a leg under her before she sits down, the soft waves of her hair bouncing slightly with the movement. The amount of eyeliner she has on today makes her eyes sparkle, but that could just be Kyungsoo projecting at this point.

Strike that, Baekhyun no doubt absolutely knows what she’s doing to Kyungsoo right now.

“Well,” Kyungsoo manages to choke out, too many seconds too late, “I was reading, but now I’m entertaining you.”

Baekhyun giggles, a cute smile on her face as she brushes a stray lock of hair away from her eyes. It only brings attention to way her fingers barely peek out from her sleeve and Kyungsoo sends a quick prayer for her sanity.

“How nice of you.”

“You don’t give me a choice most of the time,” Kyungsoo points out. Between Baekhyun crawling into her lap, talking her ear off, or just generally existing, Kyungsoo never feels like she has a chance to ignore Baekhyun for too long.

Nodding, and without shame, Baekhyun says, “That’s true. But you always let me, so what does that say about you?”

Kyungsoo’s nose scrunches up at being exposed like this.

Laughing again, Baekhyun leans her head against the back of the couch, bringing her knees up to rest against the back as well. She looks like a kitten, curled up in a ball the way she is, and Kyungsoo has always had a soft spot for kittens.

“Sleepy?” Kyungsoo murmurs when it takes longer and longer for Baekhyun to blink her eyes back open.

Baekhyun hums. “Yeah, Jongdae tired me out just now, that meanie.” She yawns right after, her words a soft slur that completely negates her intent to sound angry.

Smiling, Kyungsoo beckons Baekhyun over. “Come here, you can sleep on my lap.”

It shows just how suddenly tired Baekhyun is that her only response is another hum. She doesn’t even bother to get up, just turns slightly and lays down so that her head is in Kyungsoo’s lap. She probably shouldn’t be sleeping with her makeup still on, but Kyungsoo figures that an hour or two won’t be _too_ detrimental.

“Hey, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun says softly.

“Yeah?”

Except Baekhyun never responds, already asleep, fingers curled to her chest as her lips part on an exhale.

Kyungsoo laughs, mindful not to move too much in case it wakes Baekhyun up.

For as loud and dramatic as Baekhyun always is, Kyungsoo likes her best like this, curled up by her side or on her lap as she sleeps the stress of the day away.

Running a hand through Baekhyun’s hair, Kyungsoo picks her book back up, already counting down the minutes until Baekhyun is awake and bouncing around again.

 

The first thing that Yixing says the moment Kyungsoo walks in is, “Jongdae is in her office.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo says with a smile. “You’re the best.”

Yixing laughs, waving a hand in the air. “I’m not the best, I’m just the messenger.”

“The best messenger,” Kyungsoo corrects, heading down the hallway with a laugh before Yixing can respond.

Jongdae’s office is even further down than the break room is, and Kyungsoo takes her time, always starstruck with all of the art on the wall. The people who work here are honestly so talented, each line drawn with care, each color shaded to perfection. It’s no wonder that everyone always leaves satisfied after their appointments, or so Kyungsoo has heard.

Once she arrives outside Jongdae’s office, she knocks, waiting for Jongdae’s response before she opens the door.

“Hey,” she greets.

Looking up from her papers, Jongdae exclaims, “Kyungsoo! I didn’t know you were coming over.”

“Sehun told me to leave because she wanted to prove that she could handle it. And she also told me that she wanted to try and make some arrangements without the stress of me staring over her shoulder.” Kyungsoo rolls her eyes fondly.

Jongdae laughs, eyes crinkling up in that adorable way of hers. “So you’re just using me?”

“Well,” Kyungsoo drawls, dragging the moment out until Jongdae starts wiggling around impatiently.

She pulls out the bag from behind her back, smiling when Jongdae cheers, “Snacks!”

“Who is using who now?” Kyungsoo muses as Jongdae tears into one of the chip bags. Her grin is bright and unrepentant as she pops a chip into her mouth.

“Don’t worry, Soo. I’ll leave one chip for you.”

“How generous,” Kyungsoo deadpans. But she smiles when Jongdae laughs, addicted to the bright sound and the way Jongdae looks so happy.

“Are you working on a few sketches?” Kyungsoo wonders when she sees the numerous papers spread over Jongdae’s desk. The one on top is half-finished, a medium-sized flower patch of different sizes and shapes.

“Yeah, I don’t have any appointments for the day, so I figured I could practice a little.”

“Ah, I can go if you want me to? I don’t want to bother you,” Kyungsoo says, frowning.

“No, no!” Jongdae quickly says. She places her hand on top of Kyungsoo’s. “It’s okay, you know I never mind it when you’re around.”

Kyungsoo can feel the flush take over her cheeks at such a simple statement. It isn’t the words themselves, but the way Jongdae says them with so much conviction and sincerity.

“If you insist,” Kyungsoo says.

Jongdae looks her straight in the eyes as she says, “I do.”

Kyungsoo has to look away lest her face bursts into flames from the intensity of Jongdae’s stare. She has never been good under someone’s complete and utter attention before, especially Jongdae’s because it always feels like she’s able to see Kyungsoo at a deeper level. No one has ever been able to fluster Kyungsoo the way Jongdae does and it’s more than a little stressful.

“Oh!” Jongdae suddenly exclaims, and Kyungsoo turns wide eyes up at her. “Actually, can you look this over for me? I want to make sure that I drew them as accurately as possible, and you’re the expert.” She laughs, then, and plucks the same paper Kyungsoo saw earlier from the pile and slides it over.

Kyungsoo smiles, heart happily beating away in her chest. The fact that she trusts Kyungsoo’s knowledge enough to ask for this is so endearing, and it’s nice, to know that Jongdae values her opinion this much.

She doesn’t really have to look over it much to know that there isn’t anything wrong with the flowers already on the page, but she can’t help but tease. “Well, most of them are good, but this one?” She points at the aster. “The middle of this one isn’t a perfect circle, so you’ll have to do that one again.”

“Kyungsoo!” Jongdae whines through Kyungsoo’s laughter. “I thought you were being serious! I was so sad.”

Letting her laughter fade away, Kyungsoo grabs Jongdae’s hand and intertwines their fingers. Jongdae pretends to be put out, tugging her hand towards her, but Kyungsoo holds strong. “I’m sorry, I just thought it would be funny. But honestly, they’re all beautiful, I’m not sure why you asked for me to check in the first place.”

“Validation?” Jongdae responds, a bashful smile on her face. “It’s just nice to know that I’m doing something right, I guess?”

Softening, Kyungsoo rubs circles onto the back of Jongdae’s hand with her thumb. She knows that sometimes Jongdae feels like she isn’t doing much with her life, but Kyungsoo always reminds her that it isn’t easy to own her own business, that she took so many business and art classes to get where she is today and that her happiness will always be worth it. It’s much the same speech she gives now, and Kyungsoo knows Jongdae appreciates it with the way she clutches tighter to Kyungsoo’s hand, her eye smile coming out full force and blinding Kyungsoo.

“Thank you,” Jongdae says.

Kyungsoo only smiles back, knowing that Jongdae means much more than that. It’s not just a thank you for listening, not just a thank you for helping quell her worries, but it’s a thank you for sticking around, for helping, for always being there, for loving her. Kyungsoo isn’t always the best at being cheesy and romantic with her affections, but she knows that Jongdae and Baekhyun understand her enough that she doesn’t necessarily need to be as obvious, and she loves them more for it.

 

Kyungsoo wakes up feeling like she’s in a sauna, shirt sticking to her skin and face feeling flushed. Their sheets aren’t even that heavy since it’s the middle of spring, so that can only mean that somehow during the night, she has obtained two koalas.

True enough, the scent of peaches is strong on her left side, and a dainty hand is curled in Kyungsoo’s sleep shirt near her hip. Jongdae isn’t as attached as Baekhyun is, but Kyungsoo can still feel the soft breathing pattern of Jongdae inhaling and exhaling against her neck. It’s honestly too hot to be this close, but when she tries and wiggles to make some space, Baekhyun only shuffles closer, nose scrunching up. Kyungsoo sighs, not at all surprised that, even in her sleep, Baekhyun is still intent on being as close as physically possible.

Kyungsoo has no idea what time it is, but it must be at least six thirty since there’s soft light filtering into their room. It doesn’t usually take long for Kyungsoo to fall back asleep if she wakes up in the middle of the night, but she’s not sure she can now with all of this body heat. Another wiggle to try and at least free an arm so she can push the bedsheets off of her only results in Baekhyun whining and Jongdae’s arm slipping further over her hip. Now Kyungsoo can only hope that one of them wakes up soon, but knowing them, that isn’t very likely, especially when it’s their day off.

It had taken quite a while to match their schedules up and make sure there were enough people working at each shop for the day, but they finally found a date that worked. Baekhyun couldn’t have been any happier, literally bouncing around their living room as she chattered about how happy she was that they could finally go on a date again after so long. It’s difficult, sometimes, the three of them working together, but seemingly rarely having time for anything other than work. By the time they get home most days, it’s late, too late to be going out to eat for longer than ten minutes, but sometimes not late enough to cook something and eat together in the comfort of their own apartment. Mornings are always spent sleeping in as much as possible, and lunch is really the only time they have for themselves throughout the day, the three of them settling in one of the back rooms, talking and laughing and getting rid of their stress everyday without fail. It probably shouldn’t be as easy as it usually is, seeing each other literally everyday for a good majority of the day.

But there’s a reason they all work together the way they do. More than once, even before they started dating, people have asked Kyungsoo how she can deal with Baekhyun and Jongdae all of the time. Some were genuinely curious, some were teasing, but Kyungsoo had answered them all the same – with a smile and a shrug. There was no way that Kyungsoo was going to start talking about it, because friends or not, Kyungsoo had known that once she started talking, she probably wouldn’t stop until she embarrassed herself. There are only so many ways that Kyungsoo can talk about how wonderful it feels to have Baekhyun snuggled against her side as they watch a movie, Jongdae’s hand in hers on Kyungsoo’s other side, without letting her cheesy side show. Kyungsoo isn’t ashamed of having her soft side come out, but she feels like she’s only able to show Baekhyun and Jongdae that side, knowing that they would only love her more for letting them see it.

Their balance hadn’t been there in the beginning – that would have made things too easy. It had taken work, but all relationships do and theirs had been no different. Admittedly, it was probably harder with three people involved, but that just made it so much more rewarding when the three of them synced and were able to find their own rhythm together. Kyungsoo isn’t going to lie, there were times where she was uncertain on if it would work out. After night after night of someone being upset about one thing or another, Kyungsoo honestly wasn’t sure that they were going to pull through. It had been a hard time, the weird limbo between newly dating, wanting to show the world that they were together and happy, yet still putting all of the puzzle pieces together, getting frustrated when the piece didn’t fit as easily as anticipated. It didn’t help that graduation was looming in the distance, Baekhyun anxious and more than ready to leave the university after having to stick around an extra year, Jongdae trying to fit in her job with her studies and her girlfriends, and Kyungsoo just trying to make it through her last year unscathed, praying that she wouldn’t bomb any of her finals so that she could be free. Kyungsoo had seen the toll it took on Baekhyun, having to stay an extra year, and she had been so sick of school at that point that Kyungsoo knew she had to leave as soon as possible. She wasn’t feeling the pressure as much as Baekhyun, but Kyungsoo knew that one more year would absolutely break her, the pressure closing in, the waves threatening to drag her under the moment she stopped swimming to the shore.

There had been many sleepless nights, certain days where they barely saw each other, but even though it was hard, they persevered. It was the little things, the notes Kyungsoo left behind next to pieces of toast in the morning, the ice cream in the bag that dangled from Jongdae’s wrist at midnight, the weight of Baekhyun’s hand in theirs as she cheered them on in the early hours of the morning.

And now here they are, thriving and so, so happy. Kyungsoo honestly can’t imagine what it would be like if they hadn’t made it, if one of them had just decided that it wasn’t worth the added stress, if one of them had just walked away like Kyungsoo, at her darkest, weakest moment, had thought of doing once. Sometimes Kyungsoo doesn’t think she deserves these two, that one day she will wake up and realize it was all just some overly realistic dream.

But there’s really no need to doubt it, not when she can physically feel her heart beat faster when Baekhyun smiles or when a laugh bubbles out of her throat at every little endearing thing Jongdae does. Those are the moments where Kyungsoo fully realizes just how worth it everything had been, and even though right now Kyungsoo is sweating buckets and is just a tad bit uncomfortable, she wouldn’t trade it for anything.


End file.
